The present disclosure relates generally to a roofing material moving apparatus and method of operation, and more specifically to a hand cart that facilitates loading, unloading, and unrolling of a roll of roofing material.
It is known in the art that moving heavy or bulky objects by hand requires the use of a hand truck or dolly. This type of wheeled device consists of an elongate, normally upwardly and rearwardly projecting supporting frame with arms at its upper end, a forwardly projecting material engaging and supporting toe plate at its lower end, and a pair of laterally spaced support wheels mounted at the lower end of the frame to face rearwardly thereof.
Typically, the objects to be moved are tilted forward, the ledge is inserted underneath them, and the objects are then allowed to tilt back and rest on the ledge. The truck and object are then tilted backward until the weight is balanced over the large wheels making otherwise bulky and heavy objects easier to move.
Often, the hand truck is used to carry roofing materials both to and onto a roof. The roofing materials, which come in rolls, are unrolled and laid across a roof so that edges overlap to create a seal. This method has been used for many decades. In many instances, the roofing materials are made with an adhesive undercoating layer, and during their placement on a roof structure, the adhesive undercoating is preheated throughout the width of the roll of roofing material.
In many instances, the roll of roofing material is heavy, bulky, and difficult to handle especially on a sloped roof. The process of rolling out the roofing material requires three or four workers—two workers to hold the roll and at least one worker to pull a length of the roll of material out. The roof often has protruding obstacles, such as chimneys and exhaust and pipes, which create difficulties for this rolling out process.
It is within the aforementioned context that a need for the present disclosure has arisen. Thus, there is a need to address one or more of the foregoing disadvantages of conventional systems and methods, and the present disclosure meets this need.